Day 299 Last Fling

October 4, 2015

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every
day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)

In
the midst of cooling temperatures and changing seasons, the flowers in the
planter outside my front door have decided to have one last fling at blooming.
Gardenias were just a little ahead of marigolds crowning a whimsical unicorn’s
head, a gift from many years ago. I appreciate these late bloomers as they add
color to the gray day even though the weather is beyond their comfort zone.

I
suppose I am a late bloomer too. As a child, I was very shy. Although I still
lean toward the introvert spectrum, many people who know me today do not see me
as an introvert. Only later in my life have I been able to begin conversations
with strangers. Perhaps my husband David’s style has been a good model for me. I
also switched careers several times and earned my doctorate when I was 60. All those
times, I was definitely out of my comfort zone.

And
the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the
risk it took to blossom." ~ Anaïs
Nin

When
I researched other people who were late bloomers, I was reminded of these
people: Grandma Moses never painted until she was 78; Norman Maclean published
his first novel, “A River Runs Through It,” at age 74; Julia Child made her
television debut at 50; Peter Roget didn’t start working on his thesaurus until
he was 61; Frank McCourt wrote his first novel and won the Pulitzer Prize with “Angela’s
Ashes” at age 66.